3rd October 2014, 20:57
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| Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'? How do you upgrade from a fuss-free, reliable and sharp motor like the Honda Civic? That's easy.. Buy a car that's touted to be unreliable, from an unscrupulous car company with a notorious reputation. Simply clever  Well, how did this madness start? How does someone decide on a car like this after living with two Hondas, a Maruti and a Hyundai? We had earlier sworn not to touch with a barge-pole, any car that was as unreliable as our early Ford Ikon 1.6 ZXI. Perhaps it was bad luck, considering that the poor Ford bore the brunt of the mayhem that hit Bombay city on 26/7? It just wasn't the same again after that, as you'd imagine. Or perhaps it was a lemon right from the start, that gave us trouble every now and then. We're not sure. Come 2014, and we've taken a bold step into Skoda territory, after much deliberation, might I add. We'd shortlisted a range of cars across 4 segments, from the new Honda City to the Mercedes Benz A-Class. Our priorities: - Petrol-power - Automatic transmission - Big boot. Seems simple enough, right? Wrong! The City was going to be the car when we first took a look at it. It seemed perfect, on the face of it. The petrol engine + AT + big boot made it the perfect replacement. Our familiarity with the Honda brand, plus the reliability that comes with it was a big bonus. However, it eventually dawned upon us that the City is a downgrade from the Civic. So that's a no-go. We then test-drove the A-Class and the B-Class as we were ready to stretch our budget, if they turned out to be something special. The A is indeed something special, but the low ground-clearance and the minuscule boot disqualified it almost immediately. The B was a good option, given that the boot was larger. But the thought of having two Jazz-like cars at home made the idea redundant. The Audi A3 seemed perfect, but 40 lakhs OTR for the top-spec 1.8 TSFI with the panoramic-sunroof was too much of a stretch. Besides, the cabin-space being no more than a Vento's immediately disqualified it. The Elantra AT was a strong contender, but not for long. The visibility from the cabin is fairly poor. The steeply raked rear-windscreen made reversing a miserable affair. There wasn't anything too exciting about it either, once we looked past the styling and interior. That left us with two options. The new Corolla Altis and the Skoda Octavia. Since Skoda did not have a 1.8 TSI for test-drives, we had to make do with a demo 1.4 TSI. We came out thoroughly impressed, as you'd expect. But the 6-9 month waiting period that the sales-rep confidently rattled pushed us away. That left us with the Altis. Toyota happily brought us a demo AT Altis and were confident of delivering the car in 15-30 days. The car was impressive on all fronts. Great ride, neutral handling, responsive AT, a well-screwed-together interior / exterior, fresh design, a big boot, yada yada yada. Shortly after the test-drive, the booking-amount was put down and the wait had begun. Roughly two weeks into the wait, we got a call from Skoda saying that they have a 1.8 TSI that was due to be delivered this month but was cancelled and we could have it if we still wanted it. We just couldn't say no. P.S. There would have been NO discussion if VW had made available, a petrol Jetta with a 1.8 TSI + DSG. Heck, we would have taken it even if the 1.4 TSI had an AT. I wonder what stopped VW from providing this variation. Last edited by suhaas307 : 5th October 2014 at 01:09. |
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3rd October 2014, 21:20
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| Team-BHP Support Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore
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| re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'? What we like:
What we don't:
We took delivery of our Octavia 1.8 TSI on the 4th of September. Over the last 30 days, the car has done 560 km. My father uses it for his office-commute (25 km in total) while it's all mine on Saturdays and Sundays. This report is based on my experience with the car in and around Bangalore city.  What's it like on the outside? There's no doubt that the new Octavia is a looker. It fantastic when viewed head-on. The squared-off and chiseled jaw-line coupled with the DRLs epitomizes understated-aggression. The sharp creases and bulges on the bonnet further accentuate the car's belligerent styling. The faux panoramic sunroof that flows seamlessly from the windshield looks great too. This is further highlighted in brighter and lighter coloured Octavias. The side-profile is far less aggressive in comparison. The Octavia looks like it's sitting higher than normal. The high stance sort of dilutes the car's aggression, if I'm honest. I do like the rear-quarter-glass kink and the single brushed-chrome strip that runs along the length of the glass-house - a classy touch! The aggression almost completely tapers away when you go 'round the back. At first glance, you may mistake it for its smaller brother. The fact that the exhaust-pipes have been tucked away further softens the overall design. The lip-spoiler is a nice touch though, and is exclusive to the 1.8 TSI.   Cappuccino Beige is a nice colour. To be honest, we didn't have the option of choosing a colour since it was a cancellation. I would have liked Rio Red or Magic Black, but Cappuccino Beige is just right. It shows off the lines and contours of the body work very nicely. Another plus-point is that it hides minor scratches. It's a rather refreshing departure from our black Civic which was a scratch-magnet! The wheels look great, albeit a tad small. Yes, they may be 16" but they don't fill out the wheel-arches as well as I'd have liked. Nevertheless, they look contemporary and suit the car. What's it like on the inside? Step in to the car and a sea of beige engulfs you. Piano-black accents on the dashboard and steering give it a very premium and classy feel. Soft touch materials are used in abundance. 'Finish' seems to have gone up a notch. The car feels very premium on the inside. Quietly-spoken class, if I may. Although the faux-wood on the doors and around the gear-lever looks good, I would have personally preferred them to be piano-black accents instead. You can never have an overdose of that! The steering-wheel is a joy to hold and the controls on the steering don't interfere with the normal operation of the wheel either. The instrumentation console is clear and easy to read even on the move and general ergonomics are as good as they get. The indicator / wiper stalks have this wonderful damped-feel and quality about them, as do the rest of the switch-gear. However, I did notice a few drawbacks. The switch next to the sunroof knob that illuminates the cabin feels of inferior quality. To give you an idea of what I'm on about, it feels like a cheap switch that can be balanced between on-off and it makes a horrible clicking noise when operated. Definitely inconsistent with the rest of the interior and switch-gear. Another thing I've noticed is the tinny sound you get when you close the doors. Not that it lacks solidity. It just doesn't feel as robust as the old Laura / Octavia. This issue is further highlighted when you close the door shut, especially with the window rolled down a few inches. There's a distinct metallic sound when you close the door, accompanied by a slight vibration from the window. It's not the usual 'thud' affair that we associate German cars with. The Jetta feels like the more solid car overall. The Piano-Black finish is a dust / finger-print magnet. In fact, keeping the entire interior free of grime is going to be a task in itself, especially when you have the compulsion to keep the sunroof open. *grins*    Skoda / VW have managed to liberate more cabin room in the new Octavia. There is plenty of space up front and the occupants at the back shouldn't feel hemmed-in at any point either. The beige interior and the large green house supplemented by the sunroof help improve the airiness. It's evident that the Octavia has been designed and packaged to be a far more accommodating car than the outgoing Laura. The Seats are not too firm and grip you reasonably well should you decide to tackle your favourite curve in the neighbourhood. That being said, it could do with a little more lateral support. The quality of leather used is average. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I certainly felt a bit of inconsistency in quality and feel in certain places. Storage spaces and cubby-holes are available for knick-knacks and odd things, although I've often found myself looking for a slot for my phone while it's on charge. The glove-box is wide but just not deep enough for large items. The door-bins all-round are large and can easily accommodate big bottles. The armrest can be flipped open for more storage space, should the need arise. The back seat is very comfortable and the recline / angle of the seat-back is spot on. There's plenty of head-room and leg / knee-room even if you have two six-footers up front. I wouldn't expect the 5th occupant to be happy for very long considering that the rear-bench has been contoured keeping in mind comfort and support for two, not to mention the massive central tunnel and AC vents specifically positioned to keep the 5th occupant's family jewels cooler than he might care to like.  The boot is cavernous, to say the least. It would easily accommodate a week's worth of luggage and then some.   The MID (Multi Information Display) is operated by touch, and it seems very nice at first. But the more you use it, the more you begin to feel that it was designed a while ago. It's a bit slow and laggy. The display is fairly clear but it could have been better. Toggling between tracks on a CD is an absolute pain, especially if you're quick with the buttons as it takes a while to play the track and display it on the screen. There are a range of options for music. Your options would be USB, Bluetooth or the concentional (and my personal favourite) the CD player. Also, I've noticed that the AUX-IN port for the 3.5 mm jack is missing. Seriously, Skoda.. how could you? Audio-quality from the stock 8-speaker unit is pretty good. A little tuning should make it sound even better. Maybe it's time to give fellow Moderator DerAlte a visit? The park-assist feature is an absolute treat though and makes life extremely easy. A reversing-camera is missed, though. The 5.8" screen throws-up a whole lot of information. Not only does it help you park, it lets you toggle through tracks, adjust various settings like the folding function of the ORVMs and the rain-sensing wipers. It also tells you how low (or high) your tire-pressure may be, whether or not you need to visit the petrol bunk and it even allows you to preset your seating position! I have started to appreciate some of the general niceties that come with this car like the intuitive park-assist and rain-sensing wipers. I really like the way the left ORV-mirror tilts downwards to let you have a look at the curb while parking. Auto-dimming mirrors and self-leveling headlights that swivel make it very easy to navigate and negotiate this car through darkness. The 12-way power-adjustable driver's seat allows you to achieve the exact driving position you're after, and unlike in the Altis, they have 3-memory presets too. The sunroof is something we've always wanted in a car and the Octavia has got a very large one! The sunroof blinds are manually operated and don't cut out the sun completely, but you never feel that it's not good enough. The aircon is a good unit and does the job well. We haven't given the dual-zone climate control a proper go and we've left it at one setting for the time being. So what's it packing? In short, a little monster!  The 1.8 TSI is an absolute peach! 180 horsepower @ 5100 revvs and 250 Nm @ revvs as low as 1250 gives this car the poke to dispatch pretty much anything that comes your way. The way it covers ground is truly spectacular. Once the boost comes in, and it does rather early, it's pure fireworks! The engine is very free-revving too. I was always under the impression that the Civic's 1.8 iVtec mill loves to be given some stick and I thoroughly enjoyed redlining that lovely motor in 2nd gear on my favourite stretch of road. But the manner in which the Octavia's TSI motor revvs is something special. Before I could even think of up-shifting (when in tiptronic mode), the needle would hit the limiter and go back down only to hit the limiter again! The throaty engine note is a great accompaniment and it eggs you on to poke it every now and then. The delivery of torque is phenomenal, it pulls like a relentless locomotive. There is a hint of torque steer when you floor it whilst standing still, and that's an indication of how torquey and powerful this engine is. The anchors are pretty good too, as they should be. There is reasonable feel from the brake-pedal and it sheds speed efficiently and without drama. However good the motor is though, it's nothing without a competent gearbox, and the 7-Speed dry-clutch DSG mated to this engine is as good as it gets. Shifts are lightening quick when you're ON it, and they're so seamless when you're pottering around town that you simply don't notice when it changes gear. I tapped the gear-lever to the left to engage 'S' mode, then tapped it down to drop a gear, and then I floored it and held on for dear life as the scenery got blurry. Before I could take my hand off the wheel to tap the lever forward and engage the next gear, the needle bounced off the limiter again and was half-way through the power-band in the next gear! It's that quick! 'S' mode holds onto the lowest gear possible, but it up-shifts on its own regardless of tiptronic input. This is done to preserve the gearbox, in all probability? The motor is just so free-revving that before you can take your hands off the wheel and up-shift in tiptronic mode, it hits the limiter and up-shifts on its own. This is where I felt that it desperately needs flappy-paddles. You wouldn't want to take your hands off the wheel but you'd still like the sensation of swapping cogs, and you can't do that with a regular tiptronic gear-lever for too long. This brings me to the car's drinking habits. The biggest drawback I've noticed, has to be the fuel-economy. It's horrendous, and that's putting it nicely. Putter around town at decent speed and you could get 7.5 kilometers to the liter. With a lighter foot, you could see 8 and 8.5.. 9 if you're lucky. But the moment you give it throttle and keep it in the power / torque band, the figures plummet to 5.5-6. Even in heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic, the MID reads 6-6.5 kilometers to the liter. It's evident that the fuel-economy is susceptible to even moderately heavy traffic. Let's hope there are improvements post service.  And Drivability? Well, once you get past the explosive performance from the engine-gearbox combination, you start to truly appreciate how easy this car is to drive. I have driven quite a few cars, nearly everything under 50 lakhs in the Indian market, and I've never gotten this easily or quickly accustomed to any car as I have with this. Frontal-lateral visibility is fantastic. You get a great view of the road you're about to devour - a refreshing departure from the Civic where in you feel like the dash and windscreen are climbing onto you, not to mention the fat pillars that greatly limit visibility. Rearward visibility isn't great, although this is negated somewhat by the park-assist feature. While the IRVM is large enough for the job, the ORVMs are a tad small and don't offer a great field of vision. The steering, although great to hold, lacks feel. It's dead off-center, and there is a certain artificial feel to it when you pick up speed. The lightness is a boon in city traffic and at parking speeds. But it's not as reassuring as I'd have liked, especially considering the speeds this thing is capable of. More feedback needs to be dialed into this steering-unit. It's not as good as the outgoing Laura. In bumper-to-bumper traffic, the gearbox is a tad slow to respond and seems to confuse itself from time to time. Closing small gaps between cars in tight traffic is a pain. But if you choose to drive in a relaxed manner, you wouldn't worry about it. Be prepared for a lot of hoking / flashing-lights from cars behind you! In light traffic conditions, the engine and gearbox work together effortlessly. The TSI motor + the DSG makes light work of Sunday and non-peak-hour traffic. The motor goes about its business quietly and efficiently. Feathering the throttle and twirling the steering with one finger is all it takes. It's almost therapeutic! *wink wink* Even part-throttle application in 'D' sends the car forward with a sense of urgency. You almost begin to think if 180 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque is necessary. Overtaking is fuss-free and traffic is dispatched in an effortless manner. If the Octavia 1.8 TSI were a human being, I'd put him through a series of narcotic-drug tests for signs of substance abuse. And while I'm at the clinic, I'd get him wheeled into the psychiatric department and check for a multi-personality-disorder. It's this Jekyl-Hyde personality that gives the car plenty of character. It can be docile when you want it to be. Pot it in 'D' and putter around town like it's a normal car. But spend enough time with it at the thick end of the rev-counter and it will most certainly land you in all sorts of trouble. So, what's the ride and handling like? In a word, compliant. There is definitely a sense of underlying stiffness, but it doesn't feel under-damped. Yet, it soaks in all the rough stuff without feeling over-sprung. The supple ride keeps most of the thuds out and rarely do they creep into the cabin. The creamy-finish to the ride is what we love the most. Low speed ride is great. You are definitely aware of the road surface and its undulations, but not so aware that it it starts to get intrusive. The ride seems to get better as you dial in more throttle. Another thing I've noticed is that the suspension does not sag under weight. Four occupants and their luggage seem to have very little effect on the suspension. I haven't had the opportunity to exploit the car's dynamic ability, but the hallmark of a car with good handling characteristics is composure and compliance. It does not skip over undulations and feels far less fidgety than most cars in its segment. I did push the car around a bend a few times and the body-control is exceptional. It's firmly rooted to the tarmac and disposes the twisty stuff with incredible ease. And all this on stock Goodyear tires with tall sidewalls makes you wonder what it would be like wearing larger wheels and lower profile / wider rubber. Coming from Japanese and Korean cars, composure at high-speeds is something I'm not used to. So you can imagine how shocked I must have been when I looked down at the speedometer, thinking all the while that I was doing 60-70 km/h. You're never really aware of the speeds this car is doing. The other day, I took the car around a slightly tight bend and out of curiosity, I looked at the speedometer and I was doing 70 km/h! How? How they make cars like these, cars that don't give you an inkling of how fast they're actually going? It's beyond me! 60 km/h feels like 30, 100 km/h feels like 50 and 120 feels like 70. It would require a seasoned driver to extract the maximum out of this car. A novice like me can barely scratch the surface, especially on public roads. That said, it's a very friendly car and manageable at speed. So, if I could, what changes would I like to see in this car?
All said and done, it's still a fantastic package. The car is an absolute joy to drive and to be driven in. As far as Skoda's after-sales-service is concerned, all we can do is treat the car well, hope for the best and keep our fingers crossed. Skoda, please don't let me down. We've put enormous faith in your product. I do not want to cut a sorry figure if my dad finds the instrumentation console lighting up like a Christmas Tree one fine morning. Disclaimer:
Last edited by suhaas307 : 7th October 2014 at 22:24. |
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5th October 2014, 18:26
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5th October 2014, 19:04
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5th October 2014, 19:39
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5th October 2014, 20:03
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5th October 2014, 20:04
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5th October 2014, 21:07
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5th October 2014, 22:01
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| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Bangalore
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| re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'? Congrats on the Octavia! Will be waiting for more pics, especially the interiors and a detailed write-up on highway performance. Wish you a trouble-free ownership experience with your Skoda. Edit: Completely agree with you on how a Jetta 1.8tsi+DSG would've made things simpler. Or would it ?  Last edited by shashank.nk : 5th October 2014 at 22:06. |
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5th October 2014, 22:26
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| Distinguished - BHPian  | re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'? Congratulations Suhaas on a fantastic purchase. The 1.8 TSI is one superlative performer. And combined with the brilliance of the 7 Speed DSG its a super combination of convenience and fun. Its a pity that newer generation cars are becoming lighter. Though mfrs claim to be using stronger and lighter materials I surely miss the heft and solidity of some of the previous generation cars. I did check out the Octavia and was disappointed with the sound of the door shut. I believe this car has shed about 90 kgs compared to the Laura. That's a lot, esp given the fact that this car is dimensionally even larger than the Laura. Skoda may have received lot of flak for their unreliable cars and high cost of maintenance, but one thing I can vouch for is that the quality of some of their parts is really good. Components like the brakes, suspension etc... are really top notch. If it gives you any comfort, my 1.8 TSI Laura has done 65k kms in about 3 1/2 years and I've faced virtually zero issues till date. Of course my Laura is just bare bones compared to your Octavia , so lesser gizmos that can fail. The 180 hp tune is a very conservative tune for this engine given what its capable of. Of course the DSG will not allow you to run remaps, but do consider getting the steering wheel with paddles. The disturbing thing for all Skoda owners is that Skoda is going very slow with its India operations. No new Fabia, no serious plans with the Yeti, no supply of Octavias and some dealers shutting shop. Tough times for Skoda India. I really hope they have some strong long term plans and VW doesn't pull the plug on them. Wish you a happy and more importantly trouble free ownership experience. Last edited by Santoshbhat : 5th October 2014 at 22:30. |
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6th October 2014, 00:56
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| re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'? Congratulations Suhaas! I am sure the week mustn't be going fast enough ever since this one arrived since you only get it over the weekend! I really like this colour I feel it will age very well. The car looks very classy and understated with nothing on the exterior to suggest the monster lurking underneath. Agree that they could have been a little more imaginative at the rear and even the most trained eye will find it difficult to gauge which car it is by just a passing glance. I agree with you that VW has missed an opportunity to offer this engine and gearbox combination on the Jetta. Both VW and Skoda have also missed on having the 1.4 TSI + DSG In their arsenal. I know this would affect the 1.8 TSI sales the most but would also lead to a lot more volumes for them. Wish you a fuss free ownership experience with this beauty  |
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6th October 2014, 03:16
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| re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'? Congrats Suhaas on your lovely new ride! As for the 3.5 mm jack, isn't it there in the compartment below the driver's armrest, covered by a flap? At least, that's where it is in our Yeti. Cheers, Happy Revving |
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6th October 2014, 08:45
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| BHPian  | re: Our Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI - Were we 'Simply Clever'? Congrats Suhaas!! Quote:
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6th October 2014, 09:07
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| Distinguished - BHPian  Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gurgaon
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6th October 2014, 09:33
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